Key Learning Point (Preview):
神马都是浮云 (shénmǎ dōu shì fúyún): Everything is nothing.
A post in 2010 made the saying, “神马都是浮云 (shénmǎdōu shì fúyún)” become a popular phrase throughout China. It is used broadly in various areas of society, especially on TV shows. “神马 (shénmǎ)” literally refers to a horse who acquires the ability to use magic. But here people use the “谐音 (xiéyīn) partial tone between “神马 (shénmǎ)” and “什么 (shénme)” so that “神马 (shénmǎ)” is “什么 (shénme)” in the phrase and means “what.”
The word “浮云 (fúyún)” literally means floating clouds, but here it refers to the things, like money, and fame. This meaning originated from the Confucius’ attitude towards “riches and fame.” Combing “神马 (shénmǎ)” and “浮云 (fúyún),” the phrase “神马都是浮云 (shénmǎ dōu shì fúyún)” means “everything is nothing.” Now people also say “一切都是浮云 (yíqiè dōu shì fúyún)” to mean the same thing.
Note: Chinese people sometimes use the partial tone function when chatting online to make sentences more interesting. For example, use “童鞋 (tóngxié)” instead of “同学 (tóngxué)” to mean classmate. However, this is not accepted as part of standard Chinese.
Key Learning Point:
神马都是浮云 (shénmǎ dōu shì fúyún): Everything is nothing.
Examples:
Lǐ Qiáng: Zhēn kěxī, nǐ yīnggāi ná dìyìmíng de.
李 强： 真 可惜，你应该 拿 第一名 的。
Li Qiang: What a pity! You should get the first prize.
Lìshā: Hēhē, méi shénme kěxī de, shénmǎ dōu shì fúyún.
丽莎：呵呵，没 什么 可惜的，神马 都 是 浮云。
Lisa: Hehe, no pity at all. Everything is nothing.
Jīnqián, mínglì duì wǒmen lái shuō dōu shì fúyún, zhǐyǒu jiànkāng cái shì zuì zhòngyào de.
金钱、 名利 对 我们 来 说 都 是 浮云，只有 健康 才 是 最 重要 的。
Money and fame are nothing for us. It is health that is most important to us.
Zhǐyào néng kuàikuài lèlè de shēnghuó, qítā yíqiè dōu shì fúyún.
只要 能 快快 乐乐 的 生活， 其他一切 都 是 浮云。
Everything else is nothing as long as we can live happily.
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